


Marked

by wheresmywatson



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dubious Consent, M/M, Omegaverse, Underage Sex, suppressants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-04-28 06:02:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5080468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheresmywatson/pseuds/wheresmywatson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach is late to present as an Omega and has convinced himself in the meantime that he's actually an Alpha. But when he does present and go into heat, of course it has to be in the middle of a Dinosaur Theme Park packed with Alphas all eager to mark him as their own.</p><p>Owen happens to be at the right place at the right time - or the wrong place at the wrong time, since he's just found himself an Omega in heat and is barely stopping himself from marking the boy then and there. At least he has somewhere for Zach to wait it out, as long as nothing goes wrong.</p><p>Something always goes wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trash for this ship. Literally one day I was a normal human being and the next day I was inhaling and exhaling Zachwen.

 

The sun was beating down relentlessly, making Zach squint and shield his eyes against the glare as a bead of sweat rolled down his back. He was regretting wearing his jacket today, but also stubbornly didn't want to take it off and have to carry it everywhere or, heaven forbid, tie it around his waist like a dork.

Gray tugged on his arm from beside him, shouting something excitedly which just sounded like garble to Zach's ears, before running off and trying to push through a crowd of people all looking in at one of the smaller dinosaur enclosures. Zara had been standing off to the side and now stepped quickly after Gray, doing her best to keep him in her sights.

Sighing, Zach wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and turned around, looking up at the large building which stood behind them. Zara had said they would be going there next because it housed some 'very interesting and interactive dinosaur facts', and although that didn't appeal to Zach, he wished they could move on and go there _now_ if only to get out of the sun.

A nauseous feeling swam suddenly through his gut and he grimaced, turning back so that he could tell Zara that he was going to go and wait for them inside out of the heat. But as he glanced around at the people all milling around the enclosure, he couldn't spot her or Gray anywhere.

As if this day could get any worse. Now he'd lost Gray.

Pulling his jacket off to try and cool down a bit while he worked out what to do next, Zach turned in a slow circle and searched for any sign of his brother. Normally Gray was easy to spot, as he was either running or jumping around in his excitement, but there were too many other kids around here and the crowds too thick.

Another wave of nausea swept through him and he promptly decided to go inside anyway. The plan had been to go there next after all, so he could just wait in the shade until they finished up and came in to find him.

Starting up the stairs which lead into the building, Zach tugged the collar of his shirt down slightly. He was so hot he was certain there must be a huge patch of sweat soaking the back of his shirt. Why didn't anyone else look like they were cooking in the sun? Why was he the only one so hot he was starting to feel physically sick?

Just a few steps away from the top, someone who was on their way down in a hurry collided with his shoulder and he dropped his jacket, stumbling back with a pained gasp as another rush of nausea flooded through him.

"Whoa, sorry kid. You okay?"

The man who had run into him bent down to pick up his jacket and held it out for him, but Zach didn't take it. He was too hot, too exhausted, and feeling way too sick. He could feel the sweat on his skin as a light breeze brushed past him and his hand went limp, keeping hold of his shirt only because one of his fingers was still hooked over the collar.

"Oh, shit," the man said suddenly, eyes wide as he took in the boy's appearance and breathed in his smell. Looking around, his expression hardened before he turned back to Zach and grabbed hold of his shoulder firmly. "Listen to me. We need to get you somewhere away from these crowds. You're going into heat."

"What?" Zach asked loudly, looking up at the man in disbelief. "I'm not. I'm not an Omega. I'm an Alpha."

Confusion crossed the man's face and he took a half step back, but kept his hand on Zach's shoulder. "You're a bit old to be Presenting, aren't you? What are you, eighteen?"

"I'm sixteen," Zach corrected with a groan, tipping his head away from the sun. "And I'm not... I just need to get inside. I think I'm getting heatstroke."

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise before shaking his head to himself and flinging Zach's jacket over his shoulder.

"Look, whether you're Presenting or not, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be around crowds right now." A strangled expression came across the man's face for a moment and he didn't speak until he'd gained control of himself again. "If you come with me I can take care of you."

"No," Zach said, pushing away from the man and dragging himself further up the stairs again. "I just need to get inside..."

Just as he began reaching for the doors, Zach felt a hand close around his wrist and turned in weak preparation to tell the man to back off. But it was a different man this time, and this new stranger leaned forward as soon as Zach began turning, his head angled in towards the boy's neck and his mouth opening-

In a flash, the first man had wrenched the other stranger away and stepped between him and the boy, growling, "Back. Off."

The second man bared his teeth angrily and clenched his hands into fists, hovering on the step in front of the first man.

"Why should you have him?" asked the second man. "Whatever you were saying didn't seem to be convincing him."

"No one's going to be  _having_ him," snapped the first man. "He's just a kid. Now get out of here before I'm forced to call security." Shifting slightly, he allowed the walkie-talkie strapped to his hip to be seen, and the second man narrowed his eyes as he spotted it.

"You'd better keep a close eye on him," the second man said in a low voice, starting to back away down the stairs. "If you really don't want  _anyone_ to have him..."

There were quite a few more people watching now than there had been before, but Zach wasn't paying attention to any of them. He was staring at the man who had just protected him from another Alpha and for some reason looking at him in a completely new light. This man,  _this_ Alpha, was safety.

The first man turned around to face him again, concern in his eyes as he gave Zach's neck a quick once-over to ensure the other man hadn't managed to get his teeth into it. Then he brought a hand up over his nose and leant back.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Zach."

"Zach. Okay. I'm gonna need you to trust me right now, alright? You're going into heat, and there are bound to be a lot of unbonded Alphas around so I need to get you someplace safe."

Unbonded... Alphas... Heat...

"I need an Alpha. Like you," Zach said. He was still staring at Owen, taking in the man's scruffy appearance and the scent of Alpha which was washing over him as though it was made for him, for this very moment.

"Okay, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. A second ago you were claiming to  _be_ an Alpha," the man pointed out, his hand slipping from his face. "All I want right now is for you to come with me so I can get you safe. Nothing else."

"Okay," Zach agreed quickly, stepping closer to the man. He had forgotten all about the other people he came here with. "Where are we going?"

"We-" the man said with a wince as the Omega's scent hit him in full force, making him clench his hands into fists to control himself. "-are going to my... office."

"Your office?" Zach said, stepping even closer to the man. His hands reached out to grab the edges of the man's vest, tugging gently to try and make him come forward as well. He didn't feel quite so unbearably hot anymore. "Where's that?"

"Uh, well it's not... exactly an office." The man swallowed stiffly and jerked his head up when he realised he'd been leaning down subconsciously. "Just where I live. 'Cause I live here. I mean I work here. Well, both are true."

"Then let's go," Zach said with a grin. "It's not far, is it?"

"Not if we take my bike," the man said, prising Zach's fingers off his vest and then pulling him down the stairs by the wrist.

Zach went willingly, his temperature having finally lowered to comfortable, and although his gut was still churning like nothing he had ever felt before, he was somehow... calm. As though being with an Alpha who wanted to protect him meant everything was going to be alright.

When the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs and began making their way through the crowd, however, Zach's temperature slowly started rising once more. He tried to ignore it at first, twisting his hand in the man's grip to grab hold of him as well, but his feet started to drag and his breaths became laboured, slowing down their progress enough that the man turned to look at him with unease.

"You okay?" the man asked quietly, pulling Zach right up against his side protectively.

"Hot," Zach said, pressing against the man's body and dropping his head onto the man's shoulder. "Sick."

"It's gonna be okay," the man murmured, stroking a hand softly through Zach's hair. The sensation made Zach groan in pleasure and suddenly they were chest-to-chest, with Zach thrusting forward to create friction between their groins.

"No, no, no," the man grunted, his hands seizing Zach's biceps firmly to push him back. "No. Don't do that."

"Please," Zach whined desperately, his hips gyrating against the air which was now between them. "I need you."

"No, you don't," the man said with a sigh, holding Zach away from him and continuing to work his way through the crowd. It was slow going, as Zach was now torn between exhaustion and arousal. "Trust me," the man muttered. "If I let you jump on me right now, you  _will_ regret it when you come to your senses."

Zach made no reply, being half-dragged through the crowd now as his body gave in entirely to the new feelings it was experiencing.

When at last they came clear of the crowds – and the man finally had no Alphas left to glare at who were contemplating whether they could get away with snatching Zach from him – the man brought Zach over to a motorcycle that was waiting there.

"Do you think you're strong enough to hold on to me?" the man asked. At Zach's hesitant nod, he swung his leg over the bike and gestured for Zach to climb on behind him.

Once the boy had settled snugly against his back and snaked his arms around his waist, the man had to swallow a few times to control himself and his urges before he trusted himself to start the motorcycle.

"It's ten minutes at the most to get to my bungalow, five if I go faster than I really should," the man said over his shoulder.

Zach groaned and rested his head on the man's back, a short moment of clarity in his mind telling him he probably shouldn't rub against the man's ass in case it caused an accident, no matter how much he wanted to. It was taking a lot of self control to stay still.

"Let me know if you get worse," the man said, slowly releasing the clutch. "And try not to fall off."

With a final glance over his shoulder to check on Zach, the man set off away from the exhibits and crowds, leading them both down a dirt track towards his home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check the tags again for anything you might not like. Depending on future chapters, tags may be added when necessary.
> 
> (This is the obligatory smut chapter)

Owen had never, in all of his years alive, had to ride a motorcycle while an Omega in heat was sitting on the back and making out with his neck. But despite the new experience happening right now, he thought he was handling himself pretty well. He hadn't crashed, he was only half-hard, and thanks to the wind in his face which was keeping the Omega scent out of his senses, his head was clear.

How long it would last, he wasn't sure. But as long as he could get to his bungalow first they might be okay.

Zach's hands suddenly slipped down from Owen's waist, curling over the small bulge in the man's pants and massaging gently. Owen swore and accelerated faster, urging the bike on so they would get there as soon as possible. Those hands, damn it. They were going to make him _really_ uncomfortable soon.

The boy pressed even closer, obviously trying to rub his erection against Owen if the way he was moving his hips was anything to judge by. Owen clenched his teeth together and was about to glance back when Zach lifted his head to moan in his ear. The noise travelled down to join Zach's hands and Owen felt his cock twitch, pushing painfully against his restricting clothes.

"C'mon, c'mon," he muttered, zooming around a tight bend a lot faster than he normally would have. They were almost there. He could see the turn-off in the distance. If only Zach would stop _moving_.

"Oh... oh, fuck..." Zach murmured into Owen's ear.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Owen yelled back so the boy would hear him over the rush of the wind.

"Fuck..." Zach repeated, keeping one hand planted over Owen's erection while he moved the other back somewhere Owen couldn't see. "You have to... fuck me. Please fuck me." Zach's hand tightened slightly on Owen's cock and the man let out a groan. "Fuck. Please. I'm so wet."

That was definitely a mental image Owen didn't need. But hell if he wasn't thinking about it.

Zach's second hand rejoined the first and Owen glanced down to see that the fingers were damp. _Fuck_. Was he so wet it was leaking through his jeans already, or had Zach actually shoved his hand down his own pants to finger himself?

Shaking his head suddenly to get rid of those thoughts, Owen focused on slowing down as he reached the turn-off to his short driveway. But rather than stopping there, he brought the bike right up to the steps of the bungalow before coming to a halt.

With no wind constantly barraging his face anymore, Owen was hit full-force with the scent of Omega and all rational thought abandoned him.

Pulling Zach's arms up over his shoulders and then slipping his own arms under Zach's knees, he lifted the boy higher on his back before dismounting from the bike and carrying him up the steps to his bungalow. The door was already unlocked, meaning Owen was able to push his way inside and head straight over to the bed in the corner.

Dropping Zach onto it, Owen quickly turned to face him again and leant down just as the boy reached up for him. Their mouths met in a frenzy, slipping roughly together as their hands worked fast to pull off all the clothes separating their bodies from one another.

"Please," Zach mumbled against Owen's lips as he toed off his shoes so that his jeans could slip down all the way. "Please fuck me."

Pulling back just long enough to pull off Zach's shirt, Owen discarded the item of clothing behind him and then pushed the boy down on the bed, following him with a rough kiss and wriggling out of his own jeans as he went.

Zach's underwear had vanished with his jeans, meaning he was completely exposed underneath Owen. The man diverted his kisses, pressing them along the boy's jaw and then back to his mouth, while his hand moved down between Zach's legs to his entrance which was already thick with lubrication that had smeared down his thighs.

"Oh, fuck," Zach whimpered as Owen pressed a finger into his tight opening. "Fuck. Fuck me."

"Planning to," Owen growled, clamping down on Zach's lower lip with his teeth and pulling on it as he added a second finger. It was tight, but slippery enough that he could probably work his whole hand inside with enough time if he wanted to.

Zach was squirming beneath him, gasping and moaning and fisting his hands in Owen's hair as they kissed. Slowly, the man removed his fingers and took hold of his cock, lining it up carefully before gently pushing forward into the tight heat and swallowing up Zach's louder, longer moan.

Halfway in, Owen paused and broke the kiss, taking hold of Zach's cock and giving it a few strokes. He smirked when the boy spasmed beneath him in response.

"Don't stop," Zach begged, tipping his head back and exposing his throat in the process. "Please, don't stop."

With his eyes now fixed on the pale skin of Zach's throat and, incidentally, where he knew the Omega's bondage gland was hidden, Owen slid all the way in.

In all honesty, Owen hadn't had sex in quite a while. Most of his time nowadays was spent working with his raptors, and since he was now living on site at Jurassic World as well, he didn't get a lot of time off to go somewhere else where he could find someone to spend a night with. It hadn't ever bothered him, but right now it felt like there was a whole lot of pent-up sexual frustration bursting out – or was that just the effect of Zach's Omega scent? Owen wasn't sure, but he didn't really care.

He began rocking back and forth, his cock sliding in and out as he did so and producing the most beautiful sounds from Zach's mouth. The boy let go of Owen's hair with one hand to brace against the wall as the man sped up, the sounds of flesh smacking together filling the room. His other hand had now slipped from Owen's hair to the back of his neck, his fingernails digging in painfully.

"Fuck," Zach gasped as Owen bent the boy's knees to get a better angle. The fingers on Owen's neck pressed suddenly harder, pulling him down, and Zach arched on the bed slightly so that his head could fall even further back, making it clear that he was offering his neck for marking.

Owen leant forward, lips opening in preparation and his entire body thrumming with excitement at the prospect of finally having an Omega of his own. And such a gorgeous, young, _vocal_ Omega, too.

But just before his lips touched the boy's neck, a particularly sharp scratch from Zach's fingernail jarred Owen's mind into clarity again and he halted.

"No," he growled, more to himself than Zach. The Omega whimpered beneath him, bringing his chin down in shame at upsetting the Alpha even as Owen continued his quick thrusts. "You'd regret it later," Owen said with a grunt, kissing the boy again to reassure him that everything was alright.

A second later, as Owen rubbed his thumb over the head of Zach's cock, the boy beneath him gasped into his mouth and arched high off the bed. Owen groaned, his movements stilling as he felt Zach's body tighten around him and pull him towards his own orgasm. He felt the Omega's come spilling over his hand at the same time and the two of them clung to each other as they rode it out.

Sinking back down limply, Zach breathed heavily as Owen pulled free and moved off him. The heavy scent of Omega which had filled the room was quickly dissipating in the aftermath and Owen took a step away from the bed, watching as Zach fought to keep his eyes open for a moment but then gave up, letting them fall shut. Only a few moments later, the boy's breathing had evened out and Owen knew he was asleep.

_Shit._

Turning away and looking around his small bungalow, Owen frowned. This wasn't what he had intended when he told the boy to leave with him. He'd been planning on pushing Zach inside, closing the door and ordering the boy to lock it and stay put.

Owen washed the come off his hands and then picked up his trousers, pulling them on while trying to remain calm about the whole thing. At least he hadn't marked the kid. That _definitely_ would have brought a shit-storm down on his head when the boy's parents inevitably found out.

His parents. What if they had been inside, where Zach was trying to go earlier, and Owen had taken the boy away from them in his blind attempt to protect him? And now...

Owen looked over at the boy again, his expression softening as he watched Zach roll onto his side in his sleep.

Now he had an Omega in his bed.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this out sooner but I had a fight with the end of the chapter.

Zach woke up to a headache and a crushing sense of loneliness unlike anything he had ever felt before. He was cold, though covered in a sheet and blanket, and noticed as he sat up that someone had folded his clothes for him and placed them neatly on the end of the bed.

Flashes of memory came back to him; bodies pressed close to each other, unwavering desperation, the smell of a powerful Alpha, and his head falling back as a request to be marked and form a bond with the man he didn't even know.

Slapping a hand to his neck suddenly, he felt for a bite mark even as he remembered the firm _no_ he had received from the Alpha. At least the man had more self control than he did.

Lowering his head into his hands, Zach let out a heavy sigh. This was a mess. Not only was he an Omega – for which his dad was going to _kill_ him – but he'd also managed to get himself stuck in an Alpha's home in the middle of nowhere _without Gray_ – the latter, of course, being the reason why his _mom_ would kill him.

He just hoped things wouldn't get any worse.

Picking his head up again, Zach clenched his teeth and thought about what to do first. He pushed the covers back and stood up, reaching for his clothes to pull them on and check that his wallet and phone were still there before wriggling his feet into his shoes and approaching the door of the bungalow.

It opened quietly as Zach pushed on it and stepped outside, his eyes scanning the landscape until a movement on his right made him look over. The man who had gotten him away from the crowds was exiting the caravan right beside the bungalow, stowing something in his back pocket. He was dressed properly now and Zach felt himself flush at the memory of the man wearing less.

"Hey, you're up," the man said, having looked up to notice Zach watching him. "How're you feeling?"

Wetting his lips nervously, Zach shrugged. "I've been better."

"I don't doubt that you have," the man chuckled, walking over to the bottom of the steps where he stopped, gazing up at the boy with one hand on the rail. "Listen, I called a friend of mine and she's gonna be bringing over some suppressants you can have. One o' them and you'll be right back to normal so you can find your parents and pretend this never happened."

Zach nodded, not bothering to correct the man and say that, well, his parents weren't actually _here_.

"Thank you," he said instead. "For... helping me."

"No problem," the man said with a hint of a smile. "Let's just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Before Zach could reply, the man had moved away and Zach was left to stare after him silently. The worst part of all was that even now, with his mind clear from the effects of the heat, Zach thought that man was one of the hottest human beings he had ever laid eyes on.

Clearing his throat, Zach dragged his gaze away from the man and walked down the steps and across to the park bench that sat nearby. He sat himself down, pulled his phone from his pocket, and began swiping through the games he had in the hopes of distracting himself.

Ten minutes later, he had given up and now held his phone limply in one hand while his other propped his chin up so he could stare at the man who was currently carrying a jerry-can over to his motorcycle. Zach's tongue darted out between his lips and he shifted on the bench, watching as the man squatted down and his jeans were stretched tight over his ass.

"What's your name?" Zach asked, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

The man looked over his shoulder at him. "Owen. Owen Grady." He put the fuel cap back in place and stood up, wiping his hands on a rag. "I work with the velociraptors here."

"Oh, cool," Zach said, fighting to keep his eyes up at Owen's face when all they really wanted to do was wander down over the man's body. Those arms, especially, were hard to look away from.

"Hey," Owen said, tossing the rag down and walking over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm fine," Zach said quickly, resisting the urge to pull his shirt collar away from his neck. When had it gotten this hot?

The man stopped a few paces from him, frowning and scrutinising him with his green eyes. A moment later he muttered, "Shit" and took a step back, glancing at the road which lead to the bungalow. "You're going into heat again already."

"What? Are you sure?" Zach asked, standing up.

Owen looked back at him and hesitated briefly before moving closer and gripping the boy's chin in his hand, tipping his head back to look at his neck. "Yeeeep, pretty sure," he confirmed.

"How can you tell?" Zach questioned, staring up at the sky and trying not to think about how warm Owen's fingers were. "Is there something on my neck?"

"No," Owen murmured, easing Zach's head back down so they could look at each other. "But the scent's stronger here."

Zach could feel his heart pounding furiously in his chest as he stared into the man's eyes. If he was to take a small step forward, they could kiss. Zach wanted it so badly his chest was actually _aching_ with the desire to be wrapped closer in his Alpha's arms.

When Owen didn't move, Zach took the risk of stepping forward and pushing past the man's hand which was still on his chin. He parted his lips, tilting his head and watching Owen's face get closer and closer. They were only inches apart now and Zach could feel the heat of the man's mouth. His eyes fell shut as he braced himself for the feeling of-

"Stop," Owen said firmly, his voice low but jarring in Zach's ears and making him pull back instantly.

"I'm sorry," Zach said, pulling out of Owen's grip and keeping his eyes down. He could feel his face burning from embarrassment and shame, but there was also unmistakable disappointment too. He had so desperately wanted that. He still did. Why was the Alpha continuously rejecting him?

"Hey, I'm not mad at you," Owen said gently, putting a hand on Zach's shoulder.

"But you don't want me," Zach snapped, shrugging the man's hand off and turning away.

"It's not-" Owen began just as Zach started walking towards the bungalow. The man quickly followed after him. "Listen to me! It's not like that. You're going into heat again, alright? Which means neither of us is thinking clearly."

Pausing at the door of the bungalow, Zach looked back down at Owen and asked, "If I was going into heat would I really be able to voluntarily lock myself in here without you?" He didn't wait for an answer, but disappeared into the bungalow and slammed the door behind him, turning the lock forcefully.

Now that he was alone again, he very grudgingly admitted to himself that he _could_ feel the effects of the heat. For one thing, he was extremely hot and tempted to strip off all his clothes. For another, he was now aware of Owen's scent seeping through the door and making him want to pull it open again to jump on him.

He rested his forehead against the door with a thud, closing his eyes.

"How do you have so much self control?" he whined.

"Well, I used to be in the Navy," Owen said, his voice sounding from directly behind the door and sending shivers down Zach's spine. "But they only gave us really basic training for dealing with Omega's. Oh, _finally_."

Zach heard footsteps leaving and guessed that Owen's friend must have arrived. He thought he should be feeling glad, but all he could think about was making them leave so he could have Owen back all to himself.

"Owen Grady," came a muted, somewhat familiar female voice. "Why am I not surprised you managed to find an Omega in heat and only called me to bring suppressants..." There was a pause and Zach heard someone inhaling. "... _after_ having sex with it?"

"It was unavoidable!" Owen retorted quickly.

"Said every Alpha ever," replied the familiar voice. "Where is it?"

"He's in there. He's... just a kid."

There was a sigh. "And where are his parents?"

Hearing footsteps on the stairs just outside, Zach backed away from the door, his eyes widening in horror as he realised why that voice was so familiar.

"I dunno," Owen said. "He didn't say."

The door handle turned a fraction before being stopped by the lock.

"Hello? It's okay, you can unlock the door now. I'm here to help you."

Zach didn't say anything, but contemplated the possibility of escaping through one of the back windows. Aunt Claire was the _last_ person he wanted to see right now. If she knew about him, she'd tell his mom and then _she_ would tell his dad and then _he_...

"Zach, it's okay, she's a beta," Owen called. "Open up."

Zach was torn between horror that Owen had said his name and pleasure at hearing the man's voice again. Not to mention the fact that he suddenly found himself over at the door with his hand on the lock, about to obey his Alpha's command.

"Did you say Zach?" Claire asked sharply.

"Yeah, why?"

Zach opened the door and stared at the shocked face of Claire and the questioning face of Owen. Without a door separating them any more, Owen's scent was much stronger and Zach found he no longer cared that Claire was there.

Bypassing her, he went directly to Owen and pushed up against him, sliding his hands into the man's hair and letting out a soft gasp as Owen tightened his arms around Zach's waist in response.

"Owen," Claire said tersely. "Owen, did you bond with my nephew?"

Zach paid her no attention, wasting no time in pressing his mouth to Owen's this time and rolling his hips forward in order to feel the man's bulge against his own. He moaned loudly, his body screaming at him to get even closer. There was still too much in between them and it was driving him mad.

"Owen, _did you bond with my nephew?"_ Claire hissed more firmly.

Owen broke free of the kiss to say, "No!" before Zach's pleading brought him back in.

"This is really dangerous," Claire murmured uneasily, pulling something from the pocket of her skirt. "But I can _see_ that I have no choice. So." Something clicked.

Zach had tugged Owen's vest off and was moving in for the buttons of his shirt when he felt a sharp stinging sensation in his neck and jerked back, looking over to see Claire standing there with an injection gun in her hand.

"What did you-?" Zack began, but suddenly gasped and spasmed, his legs giving out beneath him as his body seized.

"I'm sorry!" Claire said, the look in her eyes showing that she truly meant it.

"What the hell was that?" Owen snapped, holding Zach up as the boy continued to groan and twitch in his arms.

"The suppressant you asked for," Claire explained curtly. "It's ideally meant to be administered before a heat takes effect, or at least _between_ waves of a heat, not in the middle of one... But I had no choice."

"He's gonna be okay though, right?" Owen asked, his voice a lot clearer now that Zach's scent was being extinguished.

"Yes," Claire said firmly. "He'll be fine. But as you can see, it's not exactly _comfortable_ having your heat terminated halfway through."

Zach groaned and fisted his hands in Owen's shirt, his eyes shut tight against the pain and the sensation that he was being cut off from everything around him – cut off from _Owen_. He tried to hold on, to stay there, breathing in as deeply as he could to keep the man's scent within him, before suddenly it was over as quickly as it had started and he sagged, breathing heavily as someone stroked his hair.

"Hey," Owen murmured. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Zach said weakly. "Just... tired."

"He'll need about a half hour to recover," Claire said. "But then he'll be fine."

"Please don't tell mom," Zach pleaded, turning his head to look at Claire. "She'll tell dad and then he'll kill me."

"It's okay," Claire said reassuringly, stroking his hair back from his forehead. "I can't imagine either of your parents reacting well to having an Omega son, but I know for a fact that if Karen found out you'd almost gotten yourself bonded on my watch... she'd kill me." Claire cringed at that thought, but then added, "Your secret is safe with me. I'll make sure to buy you some of the regular suppressant pills tonight."

"Thank you," Zach breathed.

"It's the least I can do for my favourite..." Claire's face suddenly paled. "Where's Gray?"

"He's with Zara," Zach said.

Quickly pulling her phone from her pocket, Claire moved away to call Zara and check that Gray was still with her like he should be.

Owen still had his arms around Zach, something which the boy was not complaining about in the slightest. Even without his heat active any more, he didn't want to leave the man's side.

"Maybe you should lie down for a bit," Owen suggested.

Very reluctantly, Zach nodded his head in agreement. As he stepped away from the man's warmth and turned to the open door of the bungalow, he found it was a lot easier than he had expected to walk away from Owen.

The man hovered in the doorway as Zach reached the bed and toed off his shoes, flopping down with a groan as his head swam dizzily.

"Call out if you need me," Owen said, making Zach smile against his pillow.

Being an Omega might not be so bad, he thought to himself, if every Alpha was like Owen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know how I'm going with the next chapter / how long it might be until the next chapter, check my new fic tag on tumblr!  
> [Right here](http://wheresmywatson.tumblr.com/tagged/my-fic%3A-marked)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a bit to get this one to you, but we did just enter a new year.
> 
> Never fear, my love for Zachwen has not wavered.

The sound of voices was what lifted Zach out of his sleep again half an hour later. He blinked his eyes lazily and stared up at the ceiling, not really thinking about where he was or why. The bed was warm and the smell reminded him of safety for some reason.

"I wanna see him!" came a muffled voice from outside, and the sound of feet thumping on the stairs reached Zach's ears before whoever they belonged to was stopped in their tracks.

"He's sleeping," said another voice. "You'll see him when he's feeling better, okay?"

Pulling himself out of the bed, Zach yawned and then made his way over to the door, opening it up to peer out at the people gathered there. Gray was on the porch with Claire holding onto his arm, while Owen and Zara were standing down on the grass.

"It's okay, I'm awake," Zach said, giving a half smile as Gray turned quickly to look up at him.

"Zach!" he exclaimed, darting forward to tackle his older brother's middle in a hug. Zach hugged back feeling slightly embarrassed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"This is all my fault," Gray continued, pulling back and looking up at Zach with a frown. "I should have said something."

"What do you mean?" Zach asked.

Gray hesitated. "I knew you were an Omega."

"As if," Zach said immediately.

"It's true! I could tell you were acting differently this morning but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to go without you," Gray explained. "And then you almost... you know..."

"Okay!" Claire said quickly, looking desperate to change the subject. "No one is to blame for what happened-" She shot a subtle glance over her shoulder at Owen. "-and everyone is fine. How would you two like to see the control room where I work?"

"Really? Cool!"

"Wait, we're leaving?" Zach asked as Claire began shepherding Gray down the stairs.

"I think you've been here long enough," she said to him over her shoulder, forcing a smile. "We should make the most of the time we've got together."

Zach looked over at Owen, who was watching him, and felt his face flush. Making his way down the steps after the others, he hesitated at the bottom and said to the man, "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Definitely not," said Claire, reaching over to give him a gentle shove in the direction of the parked car.

He didn't get another chance to say anything to Owen, but when he glanced back again as he was getting into the car, he swore he could see the hint of a smile on Owen's face before the man schooled his expression and scratched nonchalantly at his stubble.

* * *

They'd only just reached the end of the road that curved in to Owen's place when it happened. In comparison to the feeling of being in heat, which attacked Zach's body with desperation and blanketed his mind, this was a sharp spike of pain which shot through his temple and right down the back of his neck.

Zach cried out in agony, clutching at his head and buckling right over in his seat. Claire swerved slightly as she glanced back at him and she may have asked him something, but he wasn't paying attention.

Everything was the pain. It stabbed him like a knife and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes already. It was worse than anything he'd ever felt before, and it blocked everything out of his mind, _everything_ , except for Him.

Owen. He had to get back to Owen. He didn't know why, or how, but he knew that Owen would be able to make this pain stop. He reached blindly for the handle of the car door, one hand still gripping the side of his head, but just as he was about to pull on the handle the car came to a stop and he lurched, his hand slipping off and the pain spiking again.

"Let me out!" he screamed, pulling harshly on his seatbelt to get it off and then reaching for the car door again.

The door opened before he touched it and suddenly there were people crowding over him. He tried to push them away, because they were all too close and he didn't want them he only wanted _Owen!_ Why couldn't they understand that?

"Zach, relax! I'm trying to help you!"

"I just want Owen!" he yelled, lashing out again even as his eyes were squeezed tight against the pain in his head. He felt his fist hit something but didn't know what it was, and a moment later the arms reaching for him drew back and he was left to cower silently.

People were talking again, but only parts of it reached him.

"… seen this before. I know … just let me try."

"… got a choice, do I? … just help him …"

A pair of hands gripped the sides of Zach's face firmly, lifting his head and brushing gently against the skin of his cheeks.

"Zach?" a voice said, repeating his name a few times before he finally managed to blink his eyes open and look up at Zara through the pain in his head.

"I have to get back to Owen," he whimpered. "Please. Let me go back. It hurts too much."

"I know it hurts," Zara said softly, her voice soothing. "But I know how to make it stop immediately. You just have to trust me, okay? Can you do that?"

Zach was shaking from the pain in his head and only just managed to nod in reply.

"Good," Zara said with a smile. "Because I need you to say the words, 'Owen is not my Alpha'. Can you do that for me?"

Zach flinched violently as she spoke, closing his eyes tightly again as the pain in his head shot further down his neck to his back.

"No, no," he groaned. "I can't. I need- I need to go back to him. Just let me-"

"You have to trust me, Zach!" Zara snapped, her tone of voice much more commanding all of a sudden. "Say that Owen is not your Alpha and the pain will go away."

"No, it's just- you're just-" Zach shook his head and got no more words out, opting instead to push hard against her and try to climb out of the car.

An extra set of hands held him still now, and he looked up to see Claire frowning in fear beside him. She looked so worried, and it was all because of him, but why wouldn't they just let him _go_? They could take away his pain if they'd just let him _go!_

"Owen!" he started screaming, thinking that maybe if they wouldn't let him go at least he could make Owen come to him. " _Owen!_ "

"Don't make me hurt you!" Zara exclaimed, her hands still gripping the sides of his face despite all of his thrashing around.

"Zara what are you-?" Claire began, but stopped abruptly as Zara shifted one of her hands down and pressed two fingers sharply into the side of Zach's neck.

As if a switch had been flicked, he stopped moving.

The pain was still there, but it was like someone had covered it in a blanket. A blanket that was on fire, drawing his attention in such a way he couldn't ignore.

"Zara," he mumbled, staring into her eyes.

"Say that Owen is not your Alpha," she ordered firmly.

The command shot right through his mind and his mouth opened to begin obeying, which made no sense because Zara wasn't even an _Alpha_ , she shouldn't be able to control Omegas, but the pain within him roared against the blanket of her control and he stuttered, stuck on not quite knowing what he was meant to do or say.

How could he deny his Alpha?

" _Say it_ ," Zara repeated, the words coated in command much more thickly and this time Zach couldn't fight it.

"Owen is not my Alpha," he said, and passed out.

* * *

Owen stood up from lacing his boots, frowning and staring down the drive where Claire and the others had left a minute before. He had thought, for a moment there, that he had heard someone calling him.

He remained stationary for a while, concentrating on his surroundings in case he heard the voice again, but everything was silent around him except for the quiet rustle of leaves being blown in the wind.

Just about to keep getting ready to head back to the raptors, he suddenly felt something exiting his mind, leaving behind a space he hadn't known existed before now. In its absence he had no way of working out what it was, but that didn't matter. He already knew. The only question in his mind now was not _what_ , but _how_.

_How_ had Zach managed to break the mental Bond which had formed, when such a thing required significant mental strength and usually a deep repulsion for the Alpha? Owen knew, from the look the boy had given him right before leaving, that he definitely wasn't repulsed.

Quite the opposite.

* * *

After making sure Zach was secured in the car again, Claire got back into the driver's seat and continued driving them towards the control centre.

"What the _hell_ was that?" she asked after a few minutes, looking briefly guilty as she glanced in the rearview mirror to see Gray's wide eyes watching her.

"Firstly," Zara said slowly from the passenger side. "You need to know what was happening to him. I'm not sure how it could have formed so quickly in such a short amount of time, but somehow Zach formed a mental Bond with Owen."

"A mental what?" Claire asked with a frown. "That's not possible. Bonding can only happen when-" She paused and glanced in the rearview mirror again, painfully aware that Gray still had his full attention on the both of them.

"Physical Bonds, yes," Zara replied with a nod. "But mental Bonds can be formed simply from being close to another Alpha, though it's rare and usually happens over days, if not weeks. Not hours."

"And you're _sure_ it was a mental Bond?" Claire asked.

"Positive. I've seen one before, like I told you. It's... a long story. But I knew someone who had Bonded mentally with an Alpha and would experience excruciating pain every time they got too far away from each other. It only stopped causing pain to the Omega when the two women Bonded physically, as well."

"That is not fu- _reaking_ happening," Claire growled, editing her speech for the boy in the back of the car.

"Which is why I stopped it."

"Bringing me back to _how the hell_?" Claire said, glaring over at Zara before grudgingly returning her gaze to the road.

"It's something I learnt once," Zara admitted quietly. "Something that someone once did to me." Now it was Zara's turn to glance back at Gray. "The Bond Mark under the skin in the neck is not just useful for the actual process of bonding. It can also control a physically unbonded Omega."

Claire was silent for a moment, keeping her eyes stubbornly fixed ahead of her.

"So that's what you did?" she asked finally. "You used his Bond Mark to make him say what you wanted him to?"

"Yes," Zara confirmed. "And thankfully that was enough. A mental Bond is exceedingly strong, but it has a weakness. If the Omega who is affected denies the Alpha as theirs... it shatters the Bond."

Hearing final confirmation that Zach was now unbonded again (even if the Bond hadn't been physical) sent a wave of relief through Claire and she couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.

"Oh, thank god," she murmured. "I don't think I could live with myself if I let him get bonded to someone he's barely just met."

Zara turned around in her seat to check on Zach, who was still asleep in the back from exhaustion. It wasn't surprising, considering everything he'd been through since the morning.

"I don't think you should do that control thing to him again," Gray said abruptly. "It's not fair. You took away his choices."

Claire and Zara exchanged a glance.

"I give you my word, Gray," Zara said sincerely. "I won't do it to him again unless I absolutely have to."

"This world is fucked up," Claire said with a sigh, forgetting to censor her language this time. "I've never really thought about how hard it is for Omegas to just... _live_."

"At least we have suppressants now," Zara said.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Gray asked. "With the suppressants you give him, will he be back to normal again?"

"Completely normal," Zara said with a reassuring smile. "I take suppressants myself and they work perfectly."

Gray looked over at Zach again, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What if he wants to go back to that Owen guy again?"

"Then we'll talk about that if it happens," Claire said shortly.

Stirring at last, Zach opened his eyes and looked over at Gray, who looked immensely relieved to see his brother waking up again.

"Hey," Zach croaked. "What did I miss?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the explanations in this chapter were clear enough, but please let me know if you don't understand something.
> 
> The idea of mental bonds is something I made up myself, though for all I know someone else may have done it before me. (If that's true, my idea of it is probably going to pale in comparison. Sorry, but I'm not writing this fic to create a really well-developed A/B/O world, I'm writing it for Zachwen.)

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr if you want to see ZachOwen edits and text posts and basically anything else to do with them (now including 2 music videos I've made).  
> [wheresmywatson ](http://wheresmywatson.tumblr.com)


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